


do you remember we were sitting there by the water?

by katwow



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/F, Gay yearning, Lesbian Katara (Avatar), Lesbian Yue (Avatar), Pining, Republic City, yuetara endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27894868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katwow/pseuds/katwow
Summary: Yue paused, considering her anger and the slight sinking feeling she’d experienced at the sight of Suki and Katara on the loveseat; the place where she had spent countless nights laughing over Katara’s stories. She was friends with Zuko, and was easily charmed by Sokka’s sarcasm. She loved the Kyoshi warriors, and like every other person on campus, she was equal parts endeared, and confused by Mai and Ty Lee’s relationship at the right hand of their lesbian president, Azula. Republic City University was an extremely friendly campus, and the longer she thought about it, the more It became clear that pretty much all of her friends were queer in some way.So why was she so upset by the thought of Katara with Suki?or, the 'am I homophobic or just jealous' au that yuetara needed.
Relationships: Katara/Suki (Avatar), Katara/Yue (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 88





	do you remember we were sitting there by the water?

Yue was usually a calm and even-tempered girl, polite to her elders and professors, and kind to a fault. You could expect to see her helping ducks cross a road or holding a funeral for a cockroach her friends had needlessly killed. She was never the type to be aggressive, and she never yelled.

Her astrology paper was due tomorrow and despite her meticulous planning and thorough to-do lists, she had a final round of edits to go through before submitting it. Sure, it was only 10pm, but even behind her bedroom door she could hear Katara and her friend giggling away in the main room. 

Yue was excited to meet Suki, suggesting she come over for dinner one night after listening to Katara rave on about the girl. The pair had teamed up to chew out the guys who took womens studies for more superficial reasons, and Yue was delighted to discover that Suki taught self defence classes on the other side of campus.

What she hadn’t expected was Katara’s non-stop blushing every time Suki casually lay her arm over her friend’s shoulders, knees knocking together as they chatted on the couch. Yue watched, intrigued, from the armchair, ignoring the sinking feeling in her gut at the sight of the two girls so obviously drawn to each other.

So there she sat, silently fuming in her bedroom as she pretended to be mad about the noise. She had tried to express her frustration to the pair after realising she was completely lost between their passionate argument. Katara had barely looked up and continued to push further into Suki’s personal space while exaggerating her hand movements.

Yue paused, considering her anger and the slight sinking feeling she’d experienced at the sight of Suki and Katara on the loveseat; the place where she had spent countless nights laughing over Katara’s stories. She was friends with Zuko, and was easily charmed by Sokka’s sarcasm. She loved the Kyoshi warriors, and like every other person on campus, she was equal parts endeared and confused by Mai and Ty Lee’s relationship at the right hand of their lesbian president, Azula. Republic City University was an extremely friendly campus, and the longer she thought about it, the more It became clear that pretty much all of her friends were queer in some way. 

So why was she so upset by the thought of Katara with Suki?

She turned back to her now fading laptop screen, brow furrowed as she analysed the annotations before her. When she came back to her body, she realised she could no longer hear the girls in the living room and relaxed minutely. Yue typed happily for a few moments (well, as happily as someone undergoing a complete identity crisis could type), glad that they had settled down. 

All was well — until she heard two pairs of feet stumble down the corridor. Katara opened the door to her room and before Yue knew it she was subject to the many sounds associated with hooking up.

The heavy and nervous feeling in her gut was back, and, giving up on work, she slumped facedown into bed for the night.

* * *

Yue was doing a final read-through of her assignment over coffee when Katara suddenly stumbled into the main room. Suki followed close behind her, and they exchanged a few pleasantries before Suki had to run to class. Katara sat down gingerly, sheepishly avoiding Yue’s eye. Just above her collar was a deepening bruise.

Deciding that the only way out of her suddenly homophobic change of heart was through it, Yue busied herself making coffee for Katara. You wouldn’t think it, but the often grumpy and stubborn girl took her coffee with a sickening three sugars, complaining that they didn’t even have such bitter liquids back home.

Yue placed the coffee in front of Katara and sat down, desperately trying to catch her eye, hoping that she would be the first to break the ice.

She scanned Katara’s face and found not only the awkwardness that mirrored her own, but a hint of fear. Pushing aside her own feelings for a moment, Yue realised she would have to be the one to start the conversation.

‘Suki seems nice’ she said softly, smiling in what she hoped was an encouraging way.

‘I’m a lesbian’, Katara blurted, blushing as much as she could through her deep skin. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, but… I didn’t really know.’ She looked terrified.

‘Oh! Well… that’s good, I suppose.’ she looked down at her toast. 

‘I know that isn’t necessarily normal, or accepted, in the Northern Water Tribe, but,’ Katara visibly steeled herself, mouth setting into its usual stubborn line, ‘that’s who I am.’

Yue paused, worried that anything she said would be rude in light of her recent homophobia. ‘Well, we’re not in the North right now. I’m glad you told me, you know I still love Sokka and Zuko and…. Well, all our friends really.’

Katara brightened ever so slightly, clearly relieved. She sipped her coffee slowly before catching a glimpse of the time and bolting up and out of her seat.

Running around their tiny apartment, she haphazardly gathered her things and flew out the door. ‘Thank you so much Yue, really, you don’t understand how much it means to me. We’ll catch up for dinner tonight, don’t worry!’ she called out the door.

* * *

Yue became disappointed in herself when, on the Friday following Katara’s admission, she stayed up nearly all night waiting for Katara to return to their apartment. At first, she busied herself with the dishes and other chores, but as the night stretched on, she became absorbed in the most time consuming and mind-numbing tasks such as scrubbing the shower stall and rearranging the cupboards. She was startled by her apparent lack of trust for Katara’s date, yet she couldn’t help but wait up in anticipation.

Her newfound obsession with cleaning was nothing compared to the gnawing feeling in her gut, and the anxiety that spiked at each footfall in the corridor outside. Yue seriously considered getting some help for her homophobic tendencies, and wondered whether other northerners still faced the same problems even after being exposed to the dazzling freedom of the city.

At some point, she moved to her bedroom and was painstakingly rearranging the shoes in the bottom of her closet when the front door burst open, Katara stumbling noisily into Yue’s room. 

Yue scrambled to stand, knocking her head against a shelf in her haste. ‘You were out late’ Yue said without preamble, flushing slightly.

Katara only grinned. ’Sorry, I should have texted. Suki and I went out together, she took me to this wonderful bar downtown. Did you know Republic City has over 50 gay bars all over?’ She continued on before Yue could get a word in, chattering on about the drinks, the music, every minute of it. 

Yue gazed at Katara as she removed her makeup in the bathroom mirror, inordinately pleased she had returned home alone in one piece. She had already waited up all night and wouldn’t have gotten any sleep if Suki had visited. 

Already, Katara had begun sleeping in the other girl’s dorm, and each night Yue spent alone in their apartment was accompanied by an uncomfortable feeling in her chest. She couldn’t begin to picture how they spent their nights, something which distressed her to no end in her quest to become more accepting.

Before long, Katara was ready for bed, face dewey from her moisturiser and hair braided meticulously. She paused in her doorway, hip cocked against the frame as she looked at Yue.

‘You know you didn’t have to wait up for me, right?’ Katara smiled softly despite her admonishing tone.

‘I know.’ Yue returned the smile shyly. ‘Goodnight, Katara.’

‘Goodnight Yue.’

* * *

Yue’s apartment had never looked cleaner than in the two weeks Katara had been dating Suki. She had even gotten around to rearranging her underwear drawer, Marie Kondo style, in the many hours she spent awaiting Katara’s inevitably late return. After two weeks of it, though, she had given up on Katara’s return and resolved to sleep early.

Yue was just settling into bed when two pairs of feet stumbled through the front door. She heard Katara whisper something which made Suki laugh a little loudly, Katara immediately shushing her to no avail. Yue got up grumpily, no longer caring about being accepting and placid in the face of lost sleep.

‘Katara, do you think you could go to Suki’s tonight? I’ve got class early tomorrow morning and I’m really tired.’ She tried to explain in as gentle a voice as possible but she couldn’t help the irritation that slipped in. 

‘Sorry Yue, my roommate is holding a study group slash séance until dawn for a compsci exam tomorrow. I didn’t wanna get cursed accidentally’ Suki flashed a bright grin at Yue, whose brow only furrowed deeper. 

‘Oh, I see. Well, Katara, could you just try to keep it down?’ She asked.

Katara looked up from where she had been clinging onto Suki, eyes slanting suspiciously. ‘Yue, could I speak with you please?’ She all but drags Yue into the kitchen, where she rounds on her. ‘What is your problem? You’ve never had an issue with Suki staying over before right now.’

Yue flushed in anger, annoyed that Katara had seen through her so easily. ‘I’m just tired of all the late nights and noise, I wanted a break, that’s all.’

Katara’s eyes narrow. ‘I don’t think that’s it.’

Yue sighed, gazing at the floor instead of Katara’s furious face. ‘It’s- everything is different here. I’d never been outside the Northern Water Tribe until I came here. I didn’t meet a gay person until I met you and your brother, and I’m trying to be nice but it’s hard when I barely understand it.’

‘Understand? What is there to understand, Yue? I like Suki, I have sex with her occasionally, we hold hands. Just the same as you and any guy. I should’ve known better than to trust someone so sheltered.’ Katara stormed out of the kitchen and slammed the door to her room.

Yue stood stock still in the kitchen, completely dumbfounded. She could barely form a coherent thought with the blood rushing in her ears. After a few minutes she realised she couldn’t stay there anymore, the squeezing of her heart becoming too much to bear. She barely had the sense to grab her coat and slip on some shoes before rushing into the street.

It was just after midnight when Yue busted down the door to Zuko’s dorm room, startling the two figures somehow crammed into his twin bed. She dropped angrily into his desk chair, feeling indignant.

‘Hi Zuko, hi Sokka’ she grumbled, not phased by their vague state of undress under the covers.

‘Yue! Not that it’s not great to see you but uh. What are you doing here?’ Zuko asked awkward and startled.

‘Katara and I had a fight. She still thinks I’m some bigot from the north who doesn’t accept anything other than what I’ve been taught from birth.’ Yue fought to keep from wailing in despair, but couldn’t fight the tears that streamed freely down her face.

‘Hey, hey, it’s alright princess,’ Sokka soothed her, using the nickname he’d given her at orientation. ‘Trust me, Katara can be really stubborn but deep down she’s probably just scared.’

‘Yeah’ Zuko agrees, sitting up slightly. ‘This is all new to her too.’

Yue sniffled for a minute before continuing her rant. ‘The worst part is, I kind of think she’s right.’ Her tears came back full force this time and she buried her head in her arms on the desk.

‘Yue. Look at me’ Sokka waited until she peeked up over her arms at him, half naked in bed with Zuko. ‘You literally did not react to this. I don’t think you’re homophobic.’

‘Why else would I be so mad at Katara? I don’t know how much longer I can listen to her pine on and on about Suki.’

‘Oh yes, Suki, let’s stick with this topic!’ Sokka egged her on.

‘She’s so feminine and tough and beautiful, of course Katara wants her. I guess I’m just kind of mad that I haven’t been spending as much time with Katara recently.’ Yue explains softly, mind clearing up a little.

‘Anything else you’d like to add?’ Zuko grumbled good-naturedly. 

Yue could feel something on the tip of her tongue but pushed it down, the full extent of what she’d interrupted hitting her like a train.

She blushed furiously even under her dark skin, scrambling for the door.

‘No! Sorry! Thank you for all your help! Bye guys! Use protection!’

* * *

Yue numbly undid the laces on her skates, taking mental notes of everything her coach had said. She showered and changed slowly, muscles burning in the best way after a tough practice. She emerged much later to find Katara in the stands, waiting with a box of food on her lap.

‘Is that-?’

‘Your favourite sea prune stew from Nanooks? Why yes, yes it is.’ Katara grinned, opening the box and passing Yue a pair of chopsticks and a spoon. Yue was far too pleased by the sight of her favourite Northern delicacy, heart fluttering anxiously in her chest. She was just nervous to reconnect with Katara after their fight, that was all. Besides, the food did smell delicious.

Yue, abandoning all poise and politesse, enthusiastically scarfed down the stew. She caught Katara’s fond gaze in the corner of her eye and smiled with her mouth full.

‘You’re looking good out there’ Katara said after a moment. 

Yue blushed furiously, not used to the compliment. ‘Did you skate back home?’ She asked.

‘A little. Certainly not like you do, with all your spins and jumps. Me and Sokka, we mostly played hockey and other games.’ Katara pried the food out of Yue’s hands, sipping at the broth. 

‘We should skate together! I could try to teach you some jumps, if you’d like.’ Yue’s stomach swooped nervously at the prospect, but she was excited all the same.

‘That would be great!’ A long moment of comfortable silence stretched between them as they finished their stew. ‘Actually, I came here to apologise. I shouldn’t have said what I said last night. It was rude and I shouldn’t have taken out my feelings on you. You’ve been really accepting of me and it wasn’t fair, I hope you can forgive me.’

Yue smiled softly at the other girl, offering her hand to help her up. ‘Of course. I know I’ve still got a ways to go with grasping life in Republic City, and so long as you call me out every now and then I’ll be fine.’

Satisfied by the food and the resolution, they walked back to their apartment. Every time their hands touched, something intense flared in Yue’s gut, something she pushed to the back of her mind every time

* * *

It became something of a ritual between the two, Katara meeting Yue after practice twice a week. Sometimes they ate traditional Water Tribe foods, but eventually Katara managed to persuade Yue to become a little more adventurous. Yue found she loved Earth Kingdom curries, so long as they weren’t too spicy, and will tolerate tofu-filled air nomad dumplings. After one notable morning spent drinking glass after glass of water and willing her tongue to cool in the frigid rink, Yue decided to give up on fire noodles.

Sometimes Katara talked about Suki, but mostly they traded childhood stories and their dreams for the future. Despite the geographical similarity of the north and south, their cultures couldn’t be more different.

‘Wait, so Chief Arnook is your father?’ Katara asks, dumbfounded as Yue nods. ‘Doesn’t that make you... well, a princess?’

‘Technically, yes. But your father is Chief Hakoda, so you’re a princess too.’ Yue responded placidly over a bowl of warm spiced broth.

‘Ha ha’ Katara laughed sarcastically. ‘That couldn’t be further from the truth. Our chiefs are democratically elected by vote, so anyone could go for the spot in a few years time.’ Yue giggled at the thought of a toddler going for the chief position.

With every new fact learned about Katara, Yue felt something in her heart grow. Each touch was accompanied by a jolt of electricity, but she pushed these feelings to the back of her mind where Sokka’s knowing gaze resided.

Yue was especially grateful for their newfound closeness when she returned from class to find Katara tearily watching movies on the couch, ice cream carton in hand. She had no qualms about sitting next to her, motioning for the carton and waiting for Katara to break the silence. 

‘Suki and I broke up. It was mutual, I think. I’m just taking the excuse to eat ice cream and wallow a bit, I’m fine.’ Katara eventually said, voice soft but not shaky.

‘Oh Katara, I’m so sorry.’ She laid a hand on Katara’s arm, comforting her. ‘Are you guys still friends? Did she give any reasons?’

‘Yeah, I think we’ll be friends again eventually. She’s too nice for us to become enemies or anything. As for a reason, I think it was just a matter of time and place… neither of us were really giving fully to the relationship.’

Yue pondered Katara’s words, nodding along as she faced the TV. She absent-mindedly picked at the ice cream, ignoring the weird swooping in her stomach that came with the knowledge that Katara’s mouth had been on the same spoon. 

Unbeknownst to Yue, Katara was psyching herself up to say something. ‘Yue, I-‘

‘Do you wanna go to the Glacier Spirits festival together?’ Yue blurted, remembering a flyer she had been handed earlier that day. ‘Sorry, what were you saying?’

‘Nothing, it’s alright. Are they holding an event in Republic City?’ Katara asked.

‘Yeah, look at this flyer, the Water Tribes Cultural group are hosting it with the university. Imagine all the sea prunes, Katara’ she grinned, hoping she could cheer up her friend.

‘Of course I’ll go,’ Katara smiled softly. Satisfied with the results of her fact finding, Yue turned back to the TV.

A week later, Yue was dressed in all her Northern Water Tribe splendour, modifying her traditional robes to be more wearable in the Republic City climate. She painstakingly braided her hair in a traditional style that showed her status, happy to break out all her traditional headpieces and jewellery.

She could hear Katara getting ready in the other room too, and wondered how different her traditional robes would be. They both dressed in a vaguely Water Tribe fashion, but lecture halls weren’t quite the place to break out their furs and pelts. 

With one last look in the mirror, Yue emerged into their living room, perching on the edge of the couch as she waited for Katara. Only a few minutes passed before Katara emerged, in slightly simpler robes than Yue, but an intricate braid adorned with beads and other jewellery.

Yue felt her mouth hang open involuntarily, subconsciously mirroring Katara’s expression. The swooping feeling in her gut returned with vengeance, and she wracked her brains for something interesting to say, but came up empty.

‘You look really good’ Katara said through a gulp. ‘I like your hair loopies.’

‘I like  _ your _ hair loopies, especially the beads.’ Yue took a closer look at the necklace Katara wore each day, the new context sparking something in her brain. ‘Wait. You aren’t engaged, are you?’

‘Of course not!’ Katara answered quickly, flushing slightly. Yue was inordinately relieved at the news. ‘This necklace was my mother’s, she got it from her mother. It’s extremely important to me.’ She touched the pendant at her throat, looking down for a moment. 

Yue offered her arm to Katara, covered as it was in a light fur. ‘Come on, we don’t want to miss anything!’

They strolled slowly, taking in the festive air and relishing in the cold weather. While it was Water Tribe tradition, the people of Republic City never hesitated to adopt a new festival and celebrate accordingly. Food stalls from all four nations offered their traditional meals in the name of multiculturalism.

Katara called out to Sokka once they reached the centre of the festival where a projector had been set up to emulate the polar lights. With the Aurora twinkling above them, Sokka and Zuko looked beautiful, Zuko clearly having stolen some of Sokka’s clothes, but shivering all the same.

‘Well, look who decided to show up!’ Sokka dragged them into a group hug, squishing them both. ‘If it isn’t my two favourite Water Tribe girls’ he grinned, charming as always. 

‘Hey Katara, Yue.’ Zuko said, eyes joyful and posture at ease. ‘So, how does this shape up to the real thing?’ He asked kindly.

What he wasn’t prepared for was an intense debate about North vs South, their connections to the spirits and their traditions for the festival. Eventually Sokka and Zuko disappeared, leaving Katara and Yue to continue their heated discussion of Water Tribe tradition. 

Somehow they ended up by the water, the full moon twinkling over their heads and revealing a dazzling pattern on the dark waves. 

‘I’ve always thought it looks like a path or staircase, the reflection of the moon on the water.’ Katara sighed , absently bending the waves below them.

‘You know about the spirits Tui and La, right?’ Yue asked, transfixed by the soft glow of Katara’s face in the moonlight the same way she was transfixed by the moon itself.

‘Remind me’ Katara said softly, eyes closing as she focuses on the power given to her by the moon.

Yue dove into a retelling of the story of the ocean and the moon, push and pull, yin and yang. The sudden intimacy of the scene hit her suddenly and she pushed away the emerging thought, trying to focus on the details of the story.

Katara turned to Yue, and all of a sudden everything clicked. Her ‘homophobia’, the weird nerves and exhilaration she felt around Katara, her disproportionate reaction to the betrothal necklace— it all made perfect sense. As Katara stood by the water, emboldened by the moon and powerful beyond her years, Yue was drawn to her, the same way the moon and the ocean encircled each other eternally. 

‘Hmm’ Katara hummed. ‘That sounds familiar.’ Yue was so shocked by her realisation that all she could do was smile nervously in return.

They walked back to the centre of the festival in silence, yet something charged and tense hung in the air between them. 

‘Would you like to dance with me?’ Yue asked, shy but still confident. ‘There’s a band playing in the corner of the square, and a few couples dancing in the lantern light.’

‘Sure’ Katara smiled softly, holding Yue’s hand as they reached the centre of the floor. They began to slowly circle each other, moving back and forth with an intuitive understanding of the other. It was a dizzying and infernal rhythm, yet Yue felt she was finally where she was meant to be. The song ended and they stood, panting at one another as they moved to the side. 

‘Katara, I need to tell you something.’ Yue began, hesitant and nervous. She picked at her sleeve, fussing with the furs. ‘I acted really weirdly around Suki because I was jealous, not homophobic. I have the biggest most embarrassing crush on you, and I barely understood it… so that’s why I acted out. Anyways, I’m gonna go drown my feelings in sea prunes now, goodbye’ She barely breathed through the confession, turning towards a stall as she said ‘goodbye’. 

Katara grabbed Yue’s upper arm before she could turn away fully, a smile on her face. Huh. Yue wasn’t expecting that at all. ‘I need to tell you something too. Suki and I didn’t break up mutually. I broke up with her because…’ ‘because I have feelings for you, too. She confronted me about it, and I panicked because I thought you didn’t even accept me. She gave me some pretty good insight actually, she said whenever she came over it was like you were asserting your dominance over her.’

Yue giggled, somewhat lightheaded at the revelation. ‘How dumb are we, huh. I think Sokka probably knew the whole time, I went to him for advice after our fight. If only he meddled a little harder!’

‘You know he’s a romantic, he wanted us to work it out ourselves.’ Katara took Yue’s hand, leading her to a quiet side street illuminated by the moon. Katara leaned in slowly, telegraphing her every move for Yue’s benefit. Yue was pretty much brain-dead at that point, heart hammering so loudly in her chest she could barely breathe.

‘Is it alright if I kiss you?’ She asked softly, and before Yue could even respond, she was closing the gap between them, her body clearly acting completely on its own; too occupied to think. Everything slotted into place, the turmoil of the past few weeks dissipating in light of one perfect moment. 

‘That’s one way to celebrate international unity!’ Sokka smirked, causing them to jump apart and blush in the other’s direction. 

‘Sokka! Can’t you see we’re busy here!’ Katara cried, indignant as always. 

‘I was just getting her back for the other day when she burst into Zuko’s dorm. Isn’t that right, princess?’ Sokka teased the pair, walking them back through the winding streets of stalls. Katara and Yue held hands as Sokka regaled the story, making sure everyone knew that he was the first to know. The girls traded giggles and glances behind his back, the night taking on an ethereal glow after their kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> big thanks to @trashijordi on twitter for beta reading this fic - this wouldn't have happened without all your comments and suggestions!
> 
> surprise surprise, i'm back on my sapphic atla bullshit. come bully me on twitter @kyoshixrangi or on tumblr @zukka-supremacy!!
> 
> kudos are always appreciated but comments FUEL ME so... go wild folks!


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